


a flaw in my code

by TheWolfWithinMe



Category: Detroit: Become Human
Genre: Are they a thing?, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Regretful Hank, Some Fluff, Werewolf fic, i dunno where I’m going with this, mostly pain tho, smol Connor - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-23 17:37:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20344045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfWithinMe/pseuds/TheWolfWithinMe
Summary: Hank’s a werewolf and is keeping it from Connor.Simple, right?No one needs to know his secret.Until one full moon night, when a brutal murder takes place at the same location as Hank.And he and Connor have to solve the case.But what if he’s the culprit?





	1. Chapter 1

When Hank first laid eyes on Connor, his heart sunk. 

The last thing he needed was an android sticking to him like glue — especially an unnaturally perceptive one. 

When Hank found out Connor had no place to stay, his heart officially descended into the dark pits of Hell. 

Because beneath the mask of indifference and growliness, he was a big softie. 

And instead of keeping his mouth shut like he s h o u l d have, Hank found himself saying: 

“You can stay with me, if ya like?”

In his defence, he thought Connor was gonna decline his offer. But the android simply stared at him, before showing a small smile. 

“I’d like that, Lieutenant, but only if you’re sure?”

Pausing, Hank had two choices; either he could say ‘haha nah kid, I’m just messing with ya’, which would make him sound like a complete dick, or he could swallow the part of him that wanted to run away and carry through with his offer.

He chose the latter.

“Of course I’m sure.”

XxX

Fast forward two weeks and things were going... good. Sumo immediately accepted Connor as dad number two, and Connor proceeded to spoil the shit out of the Saint Bernard, much to Hank’s disdain. 

But the detective had a bigger problem on his hands. 

Tomorrow was a full moon.

And he was a werewolf.

Usually it wasn’t an issue— he’d drive out of the city, do his thing, then drive back the next morning. 

No one knew his secret, and he somehow managed to keep it that way for twenty years. 

But that was before he had an android living under his roof. Slipping out unnoticed could potentially be a problem for him now.

Licking his lips and staring at the plate in his hand that he was meant to be drying, the Lieutenant played a few different excuses over in his mind. He couldn’t say it was a case otherwise Connor would insist on coming along. 

Family visit? At midnight? Yeah, cause that didn’t look suspect as fuck. 

Maybe he could just...go? Connor wasn’t his boyfriend, so didn’t /technically/ need an explanation. 

But...

“Lieutenant?”

Hank was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear the android creeping up behind him — this being evident by him dropping the plate onto the floor and groaning as it shattered into a dozen stupid pieces.

“Connor!”

Honestly, the kid was going to give him a fucking heart attack one day. Bending over, he almost bumped heads with the android when Connor himself also ducked down, pale fingers reaching out for the broken fragments.

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Okay first — drop the Lieutenant bullshit. Outside of work, you call me Hank. Got it?”

Connor nodded, eyes scanning across the floor for more bits of the broken plate. 

“And two, give me a warning next time. My hearing isn’t what it used to be.”

Which was a total lie. His hearing was on point. He just got distracted trying to formulate a realistic excuse. 

And he still didn’t have one.

“Connor, I need you to watch Sumo tomorrow. I’m heading out of town for the night.”

There. Was that so hard?

“Where are you going?”

“To do... stuff.”

God, he sucked at thinking on the fly. But it was better this way — Connor didn’t need to know. 

XxX

It was the next night and the full moon was currently lurking behind a fat blanket of clouds. Connor and Sumo were both curled up on the couch, with the Saint Bernard shooting an ‘I know what you are’ look at Hank. 

Thank fuck dogs couldn’t talk...

Snatching up his car keys, he strolled over to the sofa, causing Sumo to growl quietly and Connor to tip his head in confusion. Hank quickly cleared his throat. 

“If you need me, text. But only if it’s an emergency — I’ll be busy most of the night.”

Connor casually stroked his fingers through the fur on Sumo’s back, remaining silent. Hank could see the light on the android’s head flicker from blue to yellow, stay on yellow for a moment, then return to blue. 

His voice was completely neutral when he finally spoke. “You smell different.”

“Do I? It’s... aftershave.”

A pause.

“I see. Are you going on a date?”

Hank didn’t have time for this, he really didn’t. But there was something about Connor’s voice that made him falter. 

“Would it bother you if I was?”

After what felt like a millennia of silence, the android shook his head. 

“....No. Of course not. Enjoy your night, Lieutenant.”

And that was that. Apparently.

“Okay... right. See you tomorrow.” He beelined for the door, then paused with one palm on the handle. “Keep an eye on him, Sumo.~”

XxX

Hank’s night was rough from start to finish. Or should that be ruff? Either way, it was a pretty crappy evening. 

He barely managed to get out of the city before the moon made its first appearance — the cloud blanket finally parting to show him his nemesis — and then he proceeded to spend all night worrying about Sumo, about Connor, chewing on a deer, then more worrying. Hank’s wolf form was more shaggy dog than horror movie monster, but still... he was a freak. An abomination. Hell, he wasn’t even good rug material. 

Roadkill material, maybe.

The night went on and on and on, and by the end of it, Hank was exhausted. He was getting too old for this bullshit. Padding over to his car, he clambered into the backseat and flopped down, head on his paws. 

Around him, the sky slowly began to lighten — from a deep navy to a bluish-purple, then a pink and finally a baby blue. The sun peeked over the hood of his car and he released a soft sigh. 

Another night down. 

Only a million more to go.

XxX

The drive home was stiff, sore and long. He stopped off to get a fresh coffee; needing to wash the taste of deer and blood out of his mouth, then continued back to Detroit. It was a cool Autumn day and the endless blue sky reluctantly pulled Hank out of his glum mood. The countryside was pretty, he couldn’t deny that.

Almost as pretty as Connor.

Huh? Where did that come from?

Maybe sleep deprivation was making him delirious. Yes, that had to be it. 

Flicking the radio on to distract his mind, the rest of the journey passed by quickly, and before he knew it he was outside his house. 

“Ah home sweet home.”

The only thing on his mind right now was the thought of having a nice hot shower, and as he stuck his key in the door, his spirits remained high. 

Until he stepped into the house and saw the TV.

“Hank! Where’ve you been?”

Hank’s gaze remained fixed on the screen, watching the news article currently playing. The scene looked horribly familiar... 

“There’s been a triple murder. Just outside of Detroit. In a wooded area. I -...”

Connor was still talking, but Hank stopped listening; the colour draining from his face.  
All he could remember from the previous night was the deer. 

Surely it wasn’t him...? He wouldn’t...

He flinched as something touched his face, panicking for a minute before realising that it was just Connor. Something red and sticky coated the android’s fingers. 

“Why are you covered in blood, Lieutenant?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the kind words :’) this was meant to be a one shot but Hannor won’t shut up in my head, so here we are (:

The blood.

Of course.

How could Hank have forgotten?!

Even though he washed his mouth out with coffee, evidence still remained, clinging to him like a flashing neon light. 

“I, uh, I got punched. It’s no big deal.” 

The Lieutenant hated lying — it went against his entire moral code, but tonight seemed to be the night for them and he was just adding to a scarily long list at this point.

Connor on the other hand, thought it /was/ a big deal and went into worry mode. Lifting one finger to his lips he tasted the sticky residue, then frowned. 

“I’m confused, Lieutenant, this is animal blood. From a stag, most likely. Are you saying this was what punched you?”

“Umm—“

He was (thankfully) saved from answering when his phone vibrated madly in his jacket pocket. Maybe there was a God, after all. Slipping the device out for the first time since he left the house last night, Hank squinted down at the screen.

20 messages from Connor.

15 missed calls from Connor.

5 from Gavin, probably just to piss him off. 

And 3 from work, the most recent reading: 

‘Hank, we need you and Connor in immediately—big case! Lots of pressure.’

If the case was the same one from the news, and Hank’s gut was telling him it /was/, then he really didn’t want to be involved. It was as sensible as walking into a lion’s den and smacking one over the head with a stick.

But... it was his job and not attending would make him look suspicious. Or lazier than usual.

Whichever path he chose — he was royally screwed.

With a sigh, Hank dragged a hand down his face. “Get the car ready, Connor, and feed Sumo. I just need five minutes.”

He didn’t wait for the android to answer, choosing instead to bolt down the darkened hallway and practically throw himself into the bathroom, where he finally came face to face with his reflection. 

“Fucking hell.”

And that was putting it politely.

Blood stained his entire face, beard and hair included. Never mind getting punched, he looked as though someone had slammed his head into a wall several times. And to make matters worse, it was sticky and almost impossible to remove. 

Soap and some vigorous scrubbing finally cleared most of it, but there were some sections, like in his beard, that he had no choice but to cut out. 

Going into work covered in blood was mostly frowned upon.

Finally, he was satisfied. Or at least too tired to give a damn anymore. 

Exiting the bathroom, he saw Sumo on the couch, sprawled out and asleep judging by the soft snores, and Connor waiting by the door. The android simply stared at him, expression unreadable, and Hank stared back. 

He really was prett—...no!

The Lieutenant had to remind himself, somewhat sternly, that he didn’t /like/ androids and that this one, no matter how puppy like he appeared at times with those big brown eyes...shit. His mind was wandering again and Connor was staring at him as though he was about to drop dead on the spot.

“You were gone for 10 minutes and 35 seconds, Lieutenant, is everything okay?”

“Everything’s... fine. Are you ready?”

“Have been for the past 5 minutes and 35 seconds.” 

The android gave him a small... smirk? Then pulled open the door and waited for Hank to join him. When the older man eventually did, grumbling about needing sleep and a stiff drink, maybe even a sugared doughnut as well for good measure, Connor leaned in close and said quietly—

“I know you’re lying to me.”


	3. Chapter 3

Hank decided then and there that he wasn’t going to dignify Connor’s ‘I know you’re lying to me’ with an actual response...

...because he didn’t know what the fuck to say.

Pushing himself out the door, he stomped back towards his car and collapsed in behind the wheel — fingers drumming against the worn leather. 

Connor joined him moments later. He stared around the interior of the car before asking:

“Do you have another dog, Lieutenant?”

Silence.

“....No...Why?”

Twisting around in his seat, the android reached for something in the back before waving a tuft of grey fur in the detective’s face. 

Little shit. Of course he would find that. 

“That’s from... uh... a friend’s dog.” Hank replied feebly, watching in horror as Connor lifted the fur to his lips and tasted it. 

Fuck.

“No wait, I was wrong — this is not dog fur.” The LED on his head flicked to yellow, and stayed that way for a long time. “It’s wolf, but that’s not all. There’s traces of something else as well... but I’m unable to pinpoint it.”

Ha. Mythical creature DNA probably wasn’t in his software. And this fact made the Lieutenant relax somewhat. 

“Alright. Enough of that, /Sherlock/, we’ve got work to do.” He plucked the fur from Connor’s fingers and tossed it out the window; hoping that the subject would be dropped.

As they pulled out onto the road, the detective made a mental note to destroy all remaining evidence as soon as Connor was out of his sight. Just in case.

xXx

They arrived at the police station half an hour later — the car ride mostly a quiet one. Hank was grateful for the lack of further questions but also suspicious at Connor’s silence. 

Being sleep deprived didn’t help matters either. 

He killed the engine and dragged a tired hand over his face. It had been nearly thirty hours since he last closed his eyes for more than a minute... 

And he was starting to struggle. 

“C’mon. The sooner we deal with this, the sooner I can go back to bed.”

XxX

Fowler jumped on his ass as soon as he crossed the threshold, shoving folder after folder into the Lieutenant’s arms.

“Where have you been, Hank? I left a dozen messages!” 

“I was /busy/.“ The detective snapped, internally wishing that he had an actual office. With a door. — that could be slammed shut in everyone’s face. He would enjoy that immensely.

“Busy with your plastic toy?” Gavin sneered, eyeing both Connor and Hank with a curled lip.

Hank gripped the folders tightly and barely resisted the urge to smack Gavin with them. 

“Reed, one day there will be a homicide and you’ll be the victim. And do you know what I’m gonna do?”

Gavin raised a curious brow. “No, what?”

“Throw a fucking party.”

“Fuck you!”

“In your dreams.”

Connor couldn’t help but smile, though he tried to hide it when Reed threw a nasty glare in his direction. Opening his mouth to probably hurl more insults, Gavin quickly changed his mind at Fowler’s expression and simply skulked off instead—but not before he knocked a huge pile of Hank’s paperwork onto the floor. 

“Fucking prick...” The Lieutenant muttered under his breath. “So what’s this case then? It better be worth the lack of sleep...”

Fowler ignored his little comment. “Three people were camping in the woods just outside the city. A hiker found them in the early hours of this morning with their throats torn out.”

Hank scrunched up his nose. “Sounds like an animal attack to me. Maybe a bear?” 

Beside him, Connor was silent; LED yellow again. 

“We don’t get many bears anymore, Hank. Or lions or tigers or well, /anything/ that could do this sort of damage.” Fowler sighed, perching himself on the edge of Hank’s desk. 

“What about wolves?” Connor asked suddenly. 

“Hmm. They venture down from Canada sometimes, but usually avoid humans.” He paused for a minute, then added. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason. Just eliminating the possibilities.” His gaze met Hank’s for the briefest of seconds; expression unreadable. “We should go to the location and have a poke around.”

A ‘poke around’ was the last thing Hank needed, but he allowed himself to be lead out of the room by Connor; dread creeping into his veins. 

This wasn’t going to end well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve changed how Cole dies in this fic. Just to give you all a heads up. :)

The drive out of Detroit was a mostly silent one. The radio offered soft tunes but neither Connor or Hank were paying much attention to them. Connor was driving; his eyes fixated on the road ahead, and Hank was drowning in his own thoughts.

He was busy planning and calculating all the ways this day could go wrong— from finding tufts of fur on a corpse to suddenly having a flashback of himself ripping out some poor sod’s throat— and what he would do if such a thing happened. Moving to Canada and changing his name was option one, getting flat out drunk for option two, and weighing up which lawyer he trusted the most if his ass got thrown into a jail cell. Which was option three.

One thing was certain though— he didn’t trust his wolf side. Especially not after the night Cole...

Sucking in a deep breath, the Lieutenant tried in vain to get his thoughts away from that night. He had just been cursed— only a week or two had passed since the ‘bite’— and he was still firmly in denial about the existence of werewolves. They belonged in works of fiction, nothing more. And even though he knew, very deep down, that the animal who bit him wasn’t something as simple as a stray dog, he refused to believe in fantasy. 

So when his arm healed and the wound went away, Hank put all thoughts of the attack into a very small corner of his mind. 

Where they stayed, until the next full moon.

Unfortunately it fell on Halloween. Cole was excited to go out, get candy and enjoy the festivities. Hank bought two large pumpkins, which — when carved — would sit on either side of the front door; signalling to the neighbourhood that they were open for trick or treat business. 

Everyone was in a good mood; Cole had a lifetime supply of candy and Hank had a bottle of beer and a happy, content son. The evening was mild and the street looked amazing decked out with pumpkins of different shapes and sizes. Cole’s pumpkin was a bat and Hank’s a scary face, which he fondly called Gavin.

But then the moon peeked out from behind a fluffy, innocent cloud and the entire atmosphere changed. Screams of joy turned into shouts of terror. A bustling street became deserted, and blood splattered the sidewalks. If it wasn’t Halloween — the night where everyone was dressed up as monsters — perhaps people would have had a chance to escape. But they thought the wolf was just a costume, laughed as it growled and snarled, approached it for a photo — before getting disembowelled by one swipe of its razor-like claws. 

Cole heard the commotion from inside the house and called for his dad, only to be met with silence. And then the front door burst open — strong enough to tear it from its hinges — and he knew, even at the young age of six, that this was no costume. It was too big, too scary and too /angry/.

And it came straight for him.

“Hank?” 

The Lieutenant was too lost in his memories to process what was happening, until he felt a warm presence on his arm. Snapping out of the painful thoughts, he surveyed his surroundings in a panic before finally settling down again. 

Connor’s brown eyes bore into him. 

“Are you alright, Lieutenant? Your heart rate is going crazy.” He slowly removed his hand from Hank’s arm. 

Hank struggled to calm himself—because the last thing he needed was Connor probing or asking the wrong questions. But all he could think about was Cole’s terrified expression and how he was the cause of it. 

“I...I’m fine.” Dragging a palm down his face, he wanted nothing more than to get out of the car and run away. Grab his gun and finally end it all. Tears threatened to spill and he forced himself to look out of the window instead— 

—Only to find that they’ve stopped. 

“We’ve arrived, Lieutenant.” The expression on Connor’s face was mostly unreadable — but if Hank looked /really/ closely — he’d see the concern, the fear, the worry and the... love? 

He didn’t look though. Instead, he tossed open the door, stepped out and promptly threw up. 

XxX

Hank remained distant the entire time they spent at the crime scene — Hell, he didn’t even comment when Connor placed a sample of blood into his mouth.

“Whoever did this was...partly human.”

Those words jostled the Lieutenant into action. Crouching down beside the android, he eyed the blood. “Partly?”

Connor nodded. “I’m detecting human DNA... but it’s tainted with something else.” He fell silent for a moment; LED spinning yellow. 

“What?” Hank asked, intrigued, frustrated and nervous all in one. “What is it?”

“This blood and the fur in your car have the same traces of exotic matter.” More silence followed as he processed the results; searching the entire internet for any sort of explanation. His LED flicked to red for one brief moment and he turned his gaze towards Hank, dark eyes scanning the older man’s body. 

Before Connor could utter anymore words, however, a branch snapped behind them. Heavy footsteps edged out of the shadows and Hank felt his chest tighten in apprehension. Standing up, he curled his fingers around the gun he was concealing. Just in case. Two bright yellow eyes stared at both him and Connor in turn, before a low growl was heard. 

The creature was half man, half fantasy. His body was human, but his soul, his aura, his eyes were not. They radiated a far higher intelligence. 

The man turned towards Hank, his long black hair ruffling in the breeze, and sniffed. “You. What are you doing in my territory?”

The Lieutenant stiffened. “Your territory? This land is open to the public, it’s not /yours/.”

“It’s open to humans, yes. I have no issues with them — makes for an easy snack when one wanders so naively into my home.” His gaze dropped to the floor, where patches of blood were still seen. “But you’re n o t welcome.”

Connor, who had stayed silent up to this point, finally spoke. “Then why isn’t Hank welcome? He’s not an android, if that’s what you’re thinki—...”

The man barked out a laugh; amused. “You haven’t told him, have you?” Inhaling deeply, his eyes flashed from yellow to a deep amber. “He’s like me, kid. Part man, part wolf.”

Beside Hank, Connor uttered a soft “of course...”

“I’m sorry?” He asked; bristled. 

“The fur, going out on a full moon night, looking alarmed and twitchy at the precinct, the blood, it all makes sense... but when the results came in, I couldn’t believe it.” 

For what it was worth, Connor didn’t appear uneasy at the realisation that his partner was in fact a werewolf, but his eyes still narrowed. 

“I knew you were lying to me. Why?”

Hank threw the man a glare—this was all his fault—spilling his secret. But the stranger simply laughed, “I’ll leave you two to your little...domestic.” He chuckled. “An android and his wolf, what a pairing.” He was enjoying this too much; Hank could see it in his expression.

Stepping forward, the Lieutenant got up close and personal with the stranger; teeth bared. “I don’t know who you are, sir, but you better get the fuck out of my sight before I put a bullet between your pretty lil eyes.” 

“Now now, no need to bite.” The man backed off, body turning towards the forest, “I only came here to warn you.— if you kill on my territory again, I’ll make both you and your pet sorry.”

And like a puff of smoke, he vanished.


End file.
